India Coronavirus Updates, 14 August: Kerala CM Vijayan in quarantine after officials involved in Kozhikode air crash rescue ops tested positive

Currently, 26.88 per cent of the total cases or over 6.60 lakh people are still undergoing treatment.

Here are the top developments from across the country

Kerala CM goes into self-quarantine as precautionary measure

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and three other ministers went into self-quarantine on Friday after they came in the primary contact list of Malappuram district collector who tested positive for the coronavirus infection.

#IndiaFightsCorona #KeralaCovid Kerala CM Vijayan goes into quarantine after several officials associated with #KozhikodeAirCrash rescue tested positive for Covid. SP, DC of Malappuram among positive @IndianExpress

— shaju philip (@shajuexpress) August 14, 2020

Malappuram Collector K Gopalakrishnan had coordinated the search and rescue operations at the Karipur International Airport after an Air India Express flight had veered off the tabletop runway and crashed into a valley and broke into pieces on August 7. Eighteen people were killed and several others were injured in the mishap.

Amit Shah says he has tested negative for COVID-19

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus, on Friday said he has tested negative. The 55-year-old also said that on the advice of the doctors, he will be in home isolation for the next few days.

आज मेरी कोरोना टेस्ट रिपोर्ट नेगेटिव आई है।

मैं ईश्वर का धन्यवाद करता हूँ और इस समय जिन लोगों ने मेरे स्वास्थ्यलाभ के लिए शुभकामनाएं देकर मेरा और मेरे परिजनों को ढाढस बंधाया उन सभी का ह्रदय से आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ।
डॉक्टर्स की सलाह पर अभी कुछ और दिनों तक होम आइसोलेशन में रहूँगा।

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 14, 2020

“Today, my corona test report has come and it is negative. I thank God and also express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who wished for my recovery and gave strength to my family. I will be in home isolation for a few more days on the advice of doctors,” he tweeted in Hindi. On August 2, Shah himself said on Twitter that he had tested positive.

Mizoram issues new guidelines for social gathering

Mizoram till Thursday had reported 649 COVID-19 cases of which 319 are actives cases as 330 people have recovered from the disease.

As cases continue to rise in Mizoram, the state government Thursday issued additional standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed in order to strengthen the existing measures of social distancing.

The order issued after a meeting chaired by CM Zoramthanga states caps the number of people in gatherings like marriages, funerals etc to 50. Old persons and people with co-morbidities are prohibited from attending funerals, the order said.

Mizoram till Thursday had reported 649 COVID-19 cases of which 319 are actives cases as 330 people have recovered from the disease.

Former president Pranab Mukherjee’s health remains critical

Pranab Mukherjee was delivering the first Sukumar Sen lecture instituted by the Election Commission of India. (Source: Twitter/@CitiznMukherjee)

Former president Pranab Mukherjee’s condition remains critical, and he continues to be on ventilator support, the Army’s Research and Referral (R&R) Hospital said Friday. The former president tested positive for coronavirus on August 10. He was also put on a ventilator support after he underwent a brain surgery on the same day. The hospital said Mukherjee’s vital parameters were stable.

Karnataka’s tally crosses 2 lakh mark

With over 6,700 new cases on Thursday, the number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections in Karnataka has crossed the 2-lakh mark becoming the fourth state after Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, to breach this mark.

More than half of the cases in Karnataka are still concentrated in Bengaluru. (File)

Although the state’s growth rate has dropped significantly in the last three weeks, Karnataka continues to discover a large number of new infections every day. More than half of the cases in Karnataka are still concentrated in Bengaluru, while Mysuru, Bellary, Kalaburgi and Dakshina Kannada are the other badly-affected districts.

Maharashtra records highest deaths in a day

Commuters exit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) railway station in Mumbai, India, on Monday, July 6, 2020. (File)

Maharashtra recorded 413 new Covid-19 deaths on Thursday – its highest ever in a single day – taking its overall toll to 19,063. The state contributes to almost 40 per cent of the country’s death count. In just 13 days of August, Maharashtra has recorded 4,069 deaths due to coronavirus, 58 per cent of what it had recorded in July and 74 per cent in June.

Mumbai recorded 48 deaths on Thursday, taking the city’s toll to 6,991. A month ago, Mumbai accounted for 25 to 30 per cent of the daily deaths reported across the state. Its share has now shrunk further to 11 per cent in daily deaths.

As active Covid cases near 50,000, Uttar Pradesh govt urges people not to panic

With at least 6 districts in the state recording more than 100 new cases of Covid infection in the past 24 hours, the number of active cases in the state reached close to 50,000 on Thursday. In at least seven districts, including Lucknow, the number of active cases is in four digits.

In at least seven districts, including Lucknow, the number of active cases is in four digits.

According to the state health department bulletin, at least 2,280 Covid-related deaths have been reported since April 1, of which 50 were reported in the past 24 hours.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health & Medicine) Amit Mohan Prasad urged people not to panic or hide information if they test Covid positive or have come in contact with a patient as a large number of people do not even require hospital admission.

Prasad pointed out that the state government was ensuring that the pandemic does not affect the non-Covid care and thus OPD sections in hospitals were started a long time ago.

Bengal conducts record 30k tests; reports highest single day spike in cases

After the Bengal state government conducted a record 30,032 tests, it reported its highest single day spike in cases with 2,997 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours. The state’s caseload currently stands at 1,07,323 it reported 56 new deaths, which took the toll to 2,259.

The state’s caseload currently stands at 1,07,323 it reported 56 new deaths, which took the toll to 2,259. (Express Photo by Shashi Ghosh)

With the state increasing testing, the test positivity rate has also climbed in recent weeks. It was 8.82%on Thursday. A bulk of the latest cases, 60%, and 45 of the deaths were recorded in the epicentre in South Bengal comprising Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, and Hooghly. Kolkata’s toll crossed 1,000 to settle at 1,015.

Bihar conducts record 1 lakh Covid-19 tests

Till now over 62,000 people have recovered in the state. (File)

Bihar conducted a record number of over one lakh Covid-19 tests in the last 24 hours, during which 10 more patients succumbed to the virus and 3,906 fresh cases were reported, the state health department said in its bulletin.

Overall, the state has conducted 13.77 lakh tests till now. The state’s capital accounts for the maximum number of fatalities(91) in the last 24 hours and has the highest number of caseloads(15,381) so far. Till now over 62,000 people have recovered in the state.

Kailash yatra gets cancelled due to coronavirus fears

The annual pilgrimage to the Kailash Kund that is located at an altitude of 14,700 feet has been cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, an official informed late Thursday.

”Based on the circumstances and SOPs (standard operating procedures), the J&K administration, in consultation with Kailash Sewa Sangh, Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Dharmarth Trust and Vasuki Annapurna Langar, has decided that it was not advisable to hold this year’s Kailash Yatra and expresses its regret while cancelling it,” said Bhaderwah’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Bhaderwah Rakesh Kumar.

The ‘Chhari Mubarak’ procession, which will start from Bhaderwah on August 16 and reach ‘Kailash Kund’ on August 18, will be facilitated by the government,” he added.

The 10-day yatra, that had already been cut off to 3 days, was scheduled to start on 8 August but was delayed citing the pandemic.